Lot 1310
1820 $5 Capped Head. Curved base 2, large letters. AU-55. Slightly prooflike in the fields and reflective. Liberty is well struck and retains the upper curl separation expected on coins of this grade. Similarly, the eagle shows just a breath of wear on the highest most points, the wing tips, claws and eyebrow. Mintages climbed back up a bit in 1820, so even with the massive meltings during the time of issue, a few still remain for collectors. A glass will note some minor hairlines in the mirror fields, to be expected on a coin that circulated even briefly.
Research by Robert Miller and updated in the sale of Harry Bass collection now finds that nine different die varieties exist for 1820. Most are very rare to extremely rare, and the total population of 1820 half eagles may only be a few hundred coins.
|
| |
| Realized $4,600 |
